Animated display device



ANIMATED DISPLAY DEVI CE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 5, 1963 m MM U 2 Mm Hm u 4? U i U .m Al m y 1966 D. A. TAYLOR, JR.. ETAL 3,258,868

ANIMATED DISPLAY DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 5, 1963 United States Patent 3,258,868 ANHMATED DISPLAY DEVKCE David A. Taylor, In, Racine, and John J. Huber, Delafield, Wis., assiguors to Walker Manufacturing Company, Racine, Wis., a corporation of Delaware, and Display Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed July 5, 1963, Ser. No. 292,954 1 Claim. (Cl. 40106.53)

This invention relates to animated display devices, and more particularly to devices for creating the illusion of moving waves such as would indicate gas flow or the like.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel and improved animated display device which creates a realistic effect of motion or flow and uses relatively simple and inexpensive parts.

It is another object to provide an improved device of this character which is reliable in use, and by means of which a large variety of animated effects can be obtained.

It is a further object to provide an improved display device of this nature which may be combined with other display material, for example in an advertising sign.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a mufller advertising sign incorporating the invention, parts being broken away;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the sign;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view in cross section taken along the line 3-6 of FIGURE 1 and showing the relationship between the moving belt and stationary sign portions;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view taken along the line 44 of FIGURE 1 and showing the location of the electric motor; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a portion of the sign, parts being broken away to show the coaction between the lines on the moving belt and those on the transparent stationary member.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention is generally indicated at 11 and comprises a rectangular advertising sign adapted to be placed in a show window. The sign has a back generally indicated at 1 2 which is preferably fabricated of sheet metal and has a pair of side flanges 13, an upper flange 1-4 and a lower flange 15. A neon lamp 16 is horizontally mounted by brackets 17 to an intermediate portion of back 12 and extends thereacross, the back being provided with lou-vers 18 at its upper and lower portions and with an inner light-reflective surface.

A pair of brackets 19 and 21 are secured to back 12 in spaced-apart parallel relation above neon lamp 16, as seen in FIGUR ES 2, 3 and 4. These brackets carry a pair of rollers 22 and 23 which are rotatably mounted between the upper and lower portions respectively of the brackets by means of pins 24 carried by the rollers and mounted in slots 25.

An endless belt or band generally indicated at 26, which may be fabricated of a flexible plastic material, is mounted on rollers 22 and 23 in such position that the light rays emanating from lamp 16 will pass through the forward flight 27 as well as the rear flight 28 of the belt. -A pair of springs 29 are mounted on brackets 19 and 21 and urge roller 22 upwardly in its slots 25, thus maintaining both flights of belt 26 in taut condition. "Belt 26 has i mprinted thereon a plurality of opaque horizontal lines 39 with alternating transparent lines 31 between the opaque lines as seen in FIGURE 5. Preferably, the width of the transparent and opaque lines is approximately the same and is relatively small, so that a large number of lines are provided around the entire belt. An electric motor 32 is connected through reduction gearing with lower roller 23, and belt 28 is frictionally mounted on the rollers so that it will have slow but continuous movement when motor 32 is energized.

A display cover generally indicated at 33 is hinged at 34 to the upper edge of back 12 adjacent the inner edge of upper flange '14. Cover 33 comprises a thin translucent member 35 of suitable plastic or other material having a main flat area inclined downwardly and outwardly from back 12, a lower portion 26 inclined upwardly and outwardly, and portions which overlap flanges 13, 14 and 15 when the cover is in its closed position as shown in the figures. The cover may be integrally molded to suit any particular requirements and in the illustrated embodiment is shown as having raised advertising lettering 37; this lettering on main portion '35 may be painted an opaque color. Lower portion 36 has a plurality of raised parallel bars 38 for retaining additional advertising lettering 39.

A rectangular opening 41 is formed in main portion 35 of cover 33 in front of flight 27 of belt 26, and a display member generally indicated at 42 is secured over opening 41. Member 42 comprises a thin integral molded body of plastic or other suitable material which, in the illustrated embodiment, simulates in relief an auotomotive mufller the housing of which is cut away to illustrate the interior components.

More particularly, member 42 may have a pipe extension portion 43 on the left hand side, as viewed in FIG- URE 1, a housing portion 44, and another pipe extension portion 45 on the right hand side, these portions being outwardly convexly curved so as to be seen in low relief. The cutaway portion of the housing is formed by recessing the central area of housing portion 44, the recessed portion being formed as a flat panel indicated generally at 46, while the wall which surrounds panel 46 is indicated at 47. The dimensions of the parts are such that panel 46 will be in closely overlapping parallel relation with flight 27 of belt 26, and will extend substantially the entire width and length of flight 27.

Member 42 may have colored areas or lines to emphasize the three-dimensional effect and to illustrate the various muffler components. On panel 46 this is illustrated, [for example, by an inlet tube 48, a partition 49, a tuning tube 51, an intermediate tube 52 and an outlet tube 53.

The spaces between these components and within tubes 48 and 52, which are illustrated on panel 46 as partially cut away, are provided with alternate opaque and transparent stripes '54 and 55 respectively. These stripes are inclined in certain areas of panel 46 at different angles with respect to the horizontal in order to coact with the moving horizontal stripes on flight 27 of band 26 to visually simulate wave motions. Like stripes 30 and 31, stripes 54 and 55 are relatively narrow and of equal width. The inclination and lengths of the various portions of stripes 54 and 55 are so chosen as to create the desired effect of wave motion and turbulence within the muflier space during operation of the display.

The manner in which the visual effect of waves is created may perhaps best be ascertained with reference to FIGURE 5. In this figure, the waves within outlet tube 52 have been drawn in, although the waves in other portions of panel 46 have been omitted for purposes of clarity.

In effect, transparent stripes 31 and 55 will permit light from neon lamp '16 to pass through, while stripes 30 and '54 will block the passage of these light rays. In other words, the light may pass through to an observer only where stripes 3 1 and 55 overlap.

In operation, the device may be controlled by a switch 56 which will turn on lamp 16 and motor 32. The motor will drive roller '23 which will move belt 26 in the direction of the arrows in FIGURES 3 and 5, that is, with flight 27 moving downwardly.

The appearance of substantially horizontally moving waves will then be created in the eyes of an observer standing in front of the display and looking at panel 45. Each relatively dark substantially vertical area will be separated by a relatively light area, the light and dark areas gradually blending into each other and moving in unison on any given area of the panel where the lines are parallel. The blending phenomenon will be due to the \fact that each relatively light area is composed of many small diamond-shaped areas, these areas being those at which transparent stripes 31 and 55 overlap.

As flight 27 of belt 26 moves downwardly, these diamond-shaped light areas, as well as the darker areas between them, will appear to move substantially horizontally in one direction or the other, depending upon the inclination of stripes 54 and 55. For example, in the case of the stripes within inlet tube 48, intermediate tube 52 and outlet tube 53, the waves will appear to move to the right. Immediately to the left of partition 49, stripes 54 and 55 are at various inclinations, some portions being horizontal with other portions inclined to create the effect of leftward or rightward wave movement. As stripes 30 and 31 pass the horizontal portions of stripes 54 and 55, they will create the visual effect of alternate light and darkness, that is, a blinking effect, whereas the immediately adjacent inclined portions of stripes 54 and 55 will create various wave effects. The total effect in this area will thus be one of turbulence, simulating the actual exhaust gas flow as it leaves inlet tube 48 and strikes partition 49.

The portions of stripes 54 and 55 in the upper area of panel 46 above inlet tube 48 are inclined oppositely to those portions within tubes 48 and '52. This will create the visual effect of waves flowing to the left as seen in FIGURE 1. Since intermediate tube 52 is illustrated as being perforated, the total effect to the observer will be of exhaust gases flowing from inlet tube 48, against partition 49, and into intermediate tube 52, portions of the gases flowing through tuning tube 51. Since intermediate tube 52 is illustrated as passing through partition 49, the further illusion will be created of gas flow from intermediate tube 52 into the chamber between partition 49 and outlet tube '53, and out through the outlet tube.

By varying the angle of inclination of stripes 54 and 55 the wave length, that is, the distance between like points on adjacent waves in the direction of their advance, may be varied. More specifically, the greater the inclination of stripes 54 and 55, the shorter will be the wave length. Correspondingly, the speed with which the waves will appear to travel will be inversely proportional to the angle of inclination of stripes 54 and 55 from the horizontal. The sharper the inclination, the slower the Waves will appear to travel, and 'vice versa. Thus, an accelerating or decelerating effect can be obtained in addition to the effect of flow reversal.

It should be observed that although the light rays passing through flight 27 of belt 26 and stripes -5 of panel 46 must first pass through flight 28 of belt 26, this will not affect the optical illusion created by the device, since flight 28 is a sufiicient distance from flight 27, as compared with the stripes 54 and 55, to dissipate the light and shadow effect of light rays passing through flight 28. Lamp 16 will of course also illuminate the remainder of translucent cover 33, accent-uating the lettering or other markings carried by the display cover.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

In an animated display, a supporting back, a cover movably mounted on said back and spaced therefrom, said cover being at least partially fabricated of a translucent material and having an opening in one port-ion thereof, a mufiler display member secured over said opening and comprising a three-dimensional molded transparent sheet in the relief shape of an automotive muffier with a portion of the housing cut away to expose the in terior thereof, portions of said rnuffier display member being pigmented to illustrate m-ufller components defining at least in part a flow path therethrough, the area within said cutaway portion of the mufller display member comprising a fiat panel with muffler interior components illustrated thereon, portions of said panel bearing alternating opaque and transparent stripes in the areas of the flow path, an endless belt supported by said back within the space between said back and cover, said belt having alternating transparent and opaque stripes, one flight of said belt being in closely adjacent overlapping relation with said panel, the distance between the belt flights being substantially greater than the width of said stripes, means for continuously moving said belt, and a source of illumination mounted between said back and the other flight of said belt, whereby light rays passing through said other flight and then through said one flight and said panel when said belt is moving will create the illusion of waves in the areas of the flow path through the mufller moving in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of said belt.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,443,919 1/ 1923 LeVie 40132 2,126,729 8/ 1938 'Bngge lo- 1065 3 2,482,947 9/1949 Swarbrick 40137 2,917,854 12/ 1959 Swarbrick 40-137 2,918,743 12/1959 Swarbrick 40'1 37 X 2,956,359 10/1960 Smith 40-10653 X 3,031,776 5/1962 Randall 35-12 X 3,048,935 8/1962 Apatofi 40105.53

FOREIGN PATENTS 704,664 2/1954 Great Britain.

JEROME SOHNALL, Primary Examiner.

EUGENE R. CAP OZIO, HERBERT F. ROSS,

Examiners.

WENCELSO J. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner. 

